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Includes, in Tetraonini, all taxa that have commonly been separated in families Meleagrididae and Tetraonidae.

Small to large terrestrial birds, with plump body, short, stout bill, short, rounded wings and short or very long tail; plumage drab or spectacular.

Old World, with greatest diversity in SE Asia and Africa.

Open areas or forest, from sea-level up to snow-line.

14-250 cm.

51 genera, 187 species, 577 taxa.

37 species threatened;

1, probably 2, species extinct since 1600.

Systematics

Phasianiadae is the largest family in Galliformes, comprising some 155 species distributed throughout much of the Old World. The Galliformes are generally thought to be most closely related to the Anseriformes,...

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As most species in this family are fairly sedentary, or competely so, they use the same habitat throughout the year, and do not utilize separate areas for different activities, such as nesting, or feeding.

The two subfamilies in the Phasianidae show quite different patterns in their...

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There is considerable variation in the group size in which phasianids occur, both throughout the family and within some species between seasons. Individuals of both sexes in some species are believed to remain solitary throughout the year. Several pheasants in south-east Asia are not known to...

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The crow of the domestic or village cock is one of the most familiar natural noises the world over. What may not be such common knowledge is the fact that the Red Junglefowl, most likely the wild ancestor of...

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There is considerable variation among the phasianids in terms of diet. Kinds of food eaten vary between groups and also by season, and even by habitat in some species, but in most cases food is found just above or below ground level. Food taken includes a wide variety of...

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There is a considerable diversity of breeding patterns exhibited by the phasianids, including monogamy, and both simultaneous and sequential polygyny. Whilst D. Lack reported that just over 90% of all bird species are monogamous, there is a disproportionate number of non-monogamous species...

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Whilst phasianids are, for the most part, believed to be sedentary, some are known to perform altitudinal movements, and one genus contains migrants and nomads. Species which undertake altitudinal migrations are those which spend their summers high in the Himalayas or the mountain ranges of...

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All the families of Galliformes have been associated very closely with man for much of recorded history. This has primarily been because, as large birds, they make a protein-rich meal, should they be snared, shot or otherwise caught, and also because they lay such big, nutritious eggs. Whether...

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Many species of pheasant, partridge, quail, francolin and snowcock are believed to be threatened with extinction. In some cases, such as that of the Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia superciliosa) and Edwards's...

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Species list

List of species of the Pheasants, Partridges, Turkeys, Grouse (Phasianidae) family. Each species provides information on taxonomy, descriptive notes, voice, habitat, food and feeding, breeding, movements, status and conservation and bibliography.

A detailed list of the species of the family is displayed to our subscribers, showing the following columns: Genus, Species, Common name, Conservation Status, Figure, and the Check mark. Above the table, a tiny search engine is displayed to facilitate the filtering of the species.

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